


Take Your Time

by Writing_Like_Ill_Die



Series: Luci’s Inktober 2020 [7]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Has a Crush on Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Study, F/M, Mutual Pining, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:21:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27062611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writing_Like_Ill_Die/pseuds/Writing_Like_Ill_Die
Summary: Inktober Day 10: HopeMarinette was obsessed with Adrien. But he didn’t quite see that. He thought she was scared of him. And that stopped him from telling her how utterly obsessed he was with her.OR: AU where Adrien is equally as obsessed with Marinette as she is with him, but the only reason he doesn’t serenade her under the moonlight is because he’s misinterpreted her stuttering as Marinette being frightened of him.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Luci’s Inktober 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1962550
Comments: 5
Kudos: 344





	Take Your Time

Adrien had a crush. A very big crush. The first one of his life. Not on Ladybug, no, she came second. Ladybug might have been technically the first, but she was a hero, a pipe dream. Dating her just wouldn’t work with their secret identities. But he’d truly fallen for someone else.

When she first walked in while Adrien tried to get gum off the seat, she was beautiful, and he was stunned into silence. But she misinterpreted his actions, and she hated him. Adrien felt devastated. He would do anything to make it up to her, and wasn’t that a new kind of feeling. The want to do anything for a girl to make her happy.

He’d explained the gun incident. He’d given her his umbrella. She smiled, he laughed, and he hoped they could be friends. His heart beat hard in his chest as he went to his ride. And that gave him hope.

But the next day, she couldn’t talk to him without falling over her words. She was embarrassed, stammering and clumsy. Adrien’s heart hurt, because he knew that Marinette was scared of him now. But that was okay. He deserved that. And he would help show her that there was nothing to fear.

When she stuttered, he waited patiently. When she tripped, he reacted only in worry. When he felt he could, he gave gentle touches, watching for bad reactions. Trying to make sure she was okay with him touching her. Trying to show her that he was gentle, and wouldn’t hurt her. She was still a terrified mess around him, but she was starting to see that he meant no harm. And that was good. She could go at her own pace. She could take her time. Seeing her slowly become more comfortable, that gave him all the hope he needed.

He was a little selfish, of course. He liked her so much, and wanted to be with her. When Nino needed an actress for a kiss scene, well, Adrien might have had ulterior motives for wanting Marinette there. Then Chloé interrupted. And Adrien wanted to scream.

When she became his partner for the gaming tournament, he was delighted. He got to see her room, and saw all the pictures of him. And he was touched. She admired him. She used his photos as reference for her designs. She was... amazing. It was all he could do to not kiss her then and there.

Maybe he was a little obsessed. Maybe he had made a chart of her daily routine to know when to best talk to her. Maybe he took every opportunity to be near her. Maybe he had bought several gifts and stored them in a crate in his closet, waiting for the right time to shower her with them. He wrote her a poem for valentines’ and then threw it away because it wasn’t good enough. He hoped so much that she would one day be his. He imagined their future together with dreamy smiles, all based on careful observation of what she liked.

They would live in a nice house with its own fashion studio, and he would model her wonderful designs. She could go to work and be an amazing fashion mogul, and he’d stay at home and take care of their kids and pets. Because Marinette loved hamsters, and heard her talking about them, and maybe he invited her to go to pet stores to look at them specifically to see her face light up, but could you blame him? He loved her. But he was patient. And she kept him full of hope.

Slowly she got more comfortable. Adrien kept following her routine and looking for good times to interact with her. For her birthday he gave her a good luck charm, because she was his good luck charm. On Heroes’ Day she kissed his cheek. The hope was overwhelming.

And when she did, he grabbed her and dipped her. Maybe he got too selfish, maybe she wasn’t ready. But he kissed her. And when he pulled back, she was dazed but grinning.

It might be slow, their relationship, and that was okay with him. She could take her time. He would always want her. And that gave him hope.


End file.
